When you love someone
by DeeRyoFan
Summary: Sometimes answers can come from unexpected sources... Oneshot, complete.


When you love someone

a FAKE-fanfic by DeeRyoFan

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, unfortunately. sobs ¼ except for the plotbunny, of course, hehe ;)

**Time frame: **Set shortly after Dee and Ryo get together. Bikky has not yet been informed about the change in the two men's relationship.

**Summary:** Sometimes answers can come from unexpected sources... One-shot.

**Warnings:** Language, maybe.

**Rating: **PG13

**Beta:** Ookami – thanks for your wonderful and quick help with this fic, buddy:)

Also a big **Thank you** to Claudia, for her very helpful, honest comments and encouraging words when I started to work on this little story. I hope you like it, my friend:)

**A/N:** Reviews are greatly welcome. It's my first FAKE-fanfic, so please be gentle (but honest, too!). Flames will be fed to the Balrog living in my closet… wrong fandom I know, but hey, the Balrog doesn't care where the flames come from, hehe. ;)

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Underlined Italics put emphasis on words. _

Thoughts are in _Italics_ only.

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xxx

"Ryo?"

Bikky cautiously sat down next to the reading man and folded his short legs beneath himself. The thirteen year old boy felt a bit nervous at the prospect of asking what he was about to ask. He didn't want to ruin his reputation as 'coolness personified', after all.

"Yes, Bikky?"

Ryo, quite enthralled by what he was reading, didn't even look up from his book as he turned a page over. Not that Bikky minded. In fact, this would be much easier for him if Ryo kept looking at anything but him. Still, he couldn't quite suppress the urge to fumble around with a lose thread on the sleeve of his too big sweatshirt.

"C-Can I ask you something?" He stuttered out, gulping in air several times and hoping that Ryo wouldn't catch the nervous hitch in his voice.

"Sure, Bikky. You can ask me anything." Ryo replied absentmindedly, blessedly oblivious to his foster son's nervousness.

"H-how... ? Well, just... I... Well. How do you know that you love someone, and I mean truly love, you know, like husband and wife?" Bikky let out in one quick tumble of words.

That definitely caught Ryo's attention. His book almost slipped from his long slender fingers as he turned his head around to look at Bikky in surprise.

"Well, uh... " He started, lamely, thousands of thoughts shooting through his mind at the same time.

Why did Bikky want to know something like _that_? And why _now_? Did he suspect, or God forbid, even know something? Had he, Ryo, slipped up somehow, somewhere, some time? Or had Dee... ? No, that couldn't be. He had sworn his... uh, partner... to complete, total secrecy lest he'd ignore him for the remainder of the year! That look of utter shock on Dee's face at that threat had been more than reassuring him that his partner would hold his tongue – his oh so talented tongue that made him feel like... _Jeez, get a grip, MacLean!_ Ryo chided himself inwardly as he realized in which direction his thoughts had drifted off to. He blinked sheepishly at Bikky three times, but still couldn't find the right answer to the boy's question.

The teenager waited patiently, not exactly surprised by his guardian's inadequate response. Questions of that sort always seemed to throw the Half-American-half-Japanese man off track.

"Uhm... well, uh... " Ryo stuttered again, admittedly just to gain some time.

Bikky gazed at him, still waiting. He didn't look as if he was suspecting something, Ryo decided finally and took a deep breath.

"Ahem, well, I think, it all becomes quite clear when you feel those infamous butterflies in your stomach whenever you see the person you love." He explained, satisfied with his own answer. Returning his attention to the book, he completely missed the thoughtful frown appearing on Bikky's face. Therefore he again almost dropped the book, when Bikky came up with just another question on the subject, while scooting a little closer to his guardian and leaning into his personal space.

"But Ryo! I also feel butterflies in my gut when the Bulls win the championship. But I certainly don't love any of those guys, at least not that way!"

Ryo blinked at him sheepishly again, but recovered a bit faster this time. Surely the mentioning of any basketball team and the indicated mentioning of a male-to-male-relationship had absolutely nothing to do with him – or his latest (and first, and probably only ever) 'conquest'... No, that was just a coincidence. Bikky couldn't possibly look so thoughtful and --- confused? --- _and_ suspect something.

"Well, uhm, that's something different. Well, okay, let me try it like this: when you love someone, your heart starts pounding in your chest all the way right up to your throat whenever you see that one person you love. And your face starts to feel hot and everything just prickles. That's a sure sign you love someone." There, that answer surely was more satisfactory for the boy. Or so Ryo thought.

"Ewww, I also have my heart pounding in my chest all the way up to my throat whenever I see my math teacher. And it makes my face red and my neck prickle, too. But I even more certainly don't love the old fart than I love any of the Bulls!" Bikky screwed up his nose in disgust.

Ryo just sighed.

"Language , Bikky... " He admonished, gently, in some sort of attempt to change the subject, even if only temporarily.

Bikky sighed, too.

"Sorry, Ryo. I meant, _middle-aged_ fart."

Ryo shook his head, exasperated, but couldn't quite suppress the smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Sometimes Bikky was just as impossible as Dee. Ryo sighed again. _Better not to think of Dee now_, he reminded himself, and studied Bikky's face. The boy seemed to be a little preoccupied. Apparently, whatever had brought forth the subject 'love' didn't have anything to do with Ryo and Dee – or more precisely had nothing to do with Bikky suspecting something about the new developments in Dee and his relationship. Maybe, Bikky was just having some 'love trouble' of his own? He was a teenager after all, the hormones were blossoming!

"Well, Bikky, maybe you should tell me how you feel about whoever we are talking about and I can tell you if you love her... or him... or not." Ryo asked, putting his book aside to pay full attention to his adopted son now.

Bikky, in return, just stared up at him incredulously, and – much to the boy's own dismay – blushed!

"Whoever said we're talking about me? And it's a she, just so that you know. And it's just a general question, anyway... You know, they all say it's about butterflies in your stomach and heart pounding in your chest and all that crap. But I still don't know what makes it feel so different so that you know you love someone and that you're not only just... excited or something." Bikky replied.

To say that Ryo was surprised by that response would have been an understatement. It was more some sort of shock, he felt. Not because he couldn't really answer that question, but more so because, apparently, Bikky had put quite some thoughts on the subject. He seemed to be quite serious about it, too.

"Well, I'm sorry that I can't explain it to you any better. Why do you want to know all of this all of a sudden anyway?" Ryo asked, worried that his son, not by blood, but by heart, was stumbling right into his first experience of teenage-heartache.

"I just want to know, so that I'm prepared and know what's goin' on, should it ever happen to me." Bikky explained and shrugged. He was a little bit disappointed that he still hadn't got any real answer to his question. But all the adults he had dared to ask so far didn't seem to know the difference, either.

_Maybe there is no difference after all and they're all just as dumb in that department as I am..._ he thought, staring at a spot on the floor. He wasn't quite sure if that idea was encouraging or frightening.

"I see." Ryo murmured, staring at the same spot.

_But then again, how can they be so sure when they say they love someone? There must be a difference!_ Bikky decided at long last and looked up at Ryo again, who was still lost in his own thoughts.

"Ryo?"

"Mhm?"

"Have you ever loved someone that way?"

At that, Ryo's head snapped up.

"Well, I... I have been in love." He treaded carefully and couldn't help starting to squirm in his seat. _Better not let my little secret slip now and here. _Recently he had a tendency to let his heart's content slip from his mouth without running it through his brain for a check-up first.

"Is that the same?" Bikky wanted to know, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, staring at the ceiling, thus thankfully, completely ignorant to Ryo's nervousness.

"M-Maybe... " Ryo answered, uncertain.

"You don't sound so sure... " Bikky replied, looking back at Ryo now and narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Well, being in love doesn't go as ... deep... as loving someone... in a way, I guess... " Ryo tried and managed to not blush.

"So you've been in love then?" Bikky wanted to know, eyes still narrowed. Ryo gulped. Maybe he _did_ suspect something after all.

"Yes." The man said as confidently as he could.

"You're sure?" Bikky interrogated.

"One hundred percent." Now Ryo was almost getting annoyed at the boy's antics.

"Then, what made that feel different from being excited about your favorite basketball team winning the championship?" Bikky asked, hopefully. Surely Ryo could explain it all better to him now. Or so he thought.

"I don't like basketball... " Was all he got in return.

"That's not the point, Ryo!" Now _he_ was getting annoyed at the _man's_ antics.

Ryo just grinned sheepishly. "I know", he said and sighed. "I don't know what makes it feel different. It just does."

Bikky nodded, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Sorry, Bikky, there is no real answer to any of that, it seems. But if it happens to you, you will know it. Trust me."

Later the same day:

Bikky was sitting at the coffee table, on the floor, slouched over some homework, while Ryo was busy in the kitchen preparing supper, when the boy heard the front door being unlocked and someone entering their apartment. The boy didn't need to look up to know who it was.

They hadn't heard or seen anything from Ryo's team partner all day long and supper would be ready in five – two facts that made sure it could only be Dee letting himself in into their apartment, as if _he_ lived here too.

"Hey, squirt!" That greeting confirmed Bikky's suspicion, although he had seldom been greeted with such cheerfulness in the other's voice.

"Hey, perv!" He muttered back, still not looking up and a little irritated at being disturbed.

He almost jumped when his already unruly hair got ruffled in a nearly affectionate gesture. He couldn't help but growl at Dee when he looked up and saw the man grinning down on him foolishly.

Dee just laughed at the sour expression on Bikky's face. Hell, he had hated homework, too. _No wonder the kid is in such a bad mood_, he thought, misinterpreting Bikky's behavior completely.

"Hello Dee! Good timing, bab-... I, uhm, mean, errh, p-partner! Supper will be ready in five." Ryo called from the kitchen, and for some reason the cheerfulness in _his_ voice was even more irritating to Bikky.

The boy glared up at Dee, whose face was in danger of splitting into two halves, he beamed so happily.

Dee was just about to leave Bikky alone and enter the kitchen, when Bikky got an idea. Maybe Dee would know at least some answers to his questions. Okay, the man was a perv, but from the looks of it, he was quite a love-struck perv.

"Hey, Dee!" Bikky called, trying to sound bored. He didn't want to get his hopes up too high, after all. If Ryo couldn't give him a decent answer, well, he wouldn't be surprised if Dee would fail to even get near a proper explanation.

The raven-haired man stopped dead in his tracks, shocked at being addressed by his name.

"Squirt?" He answered, almost worried... well, almost!... and looked back down at Bikky.

"Can I ask you something?" Bikky asked.

"Uh, sure. As long as it doesn't have anything to do with bees and flowers and where do babies come from. Ryo took you in. He's supposed to explain those things to you!" Dee joked and smiled sheepishly, unsuccessfully trying to hide his suddenly flaring nervousness.

Bikky just rolled his blue eyes at him.

"I already know where babies come from, you moron!"

"Oh, goodie! Then, fire away!" Dee let out, relieved, and flopped down on the couch next to the boy.

"How do you know that you love someone?"

"Oh that? Well, that's an easy question!"

"Oh?" Bikky looked up, completely surprised by that response.

"Well, don't let anyone tell you about blasted butterflies in your stomach or heart pounding in your chest or any of that old crap", Dee explained, sounding shockingly serious. "It's just part of the package, it doesn't make the difference, you know. I mean, hey, I get the butterflies when the Knicks win the championship, and even though some of the guys are kinda hot I don't love any of them. And sheesh, my heart's still pounding in my chest from running up all those blasted stairs to your apartment – and I most definitely DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT love these freaking stairs, either!"

"So, what is it about then?" Bikky asked, honestly intrigued with his supposed arch-enemy.

"It's all about not giving a damn flying shit if you have to make a complete fool of yourself just to make the one you love smile for a single second."

Bikky stared at Dee, mouth agape. Then he snorted before his face broke out into a beaming grin. Leave it to the perv to clear up things in two seconds flat while everyone else failed to explain things to him properly, even given two hours! Bikky finally had his answer, and deep down inside he knew it all to be true.

And maybe, Bikky decided in that moment, maybe Dee wasn't such a bad guy after all. Because, well, he made one hell of a fool of himself all of the time, but oddly enough somehow he also always managed to bring a smile onto Ryo's face all the time, too.

_No, definitely not a bad guy,_ Bikky thought, and continued busying himself with his homework. Maybe he'd go easy on Dee tonight and not kick him in the ass... too hard.

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The End


End file.
